


Everything Stays

by fondlii



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus is Exquisite, Racism, Reader is at the end of her Goddamn Rope, Sans is a gremlin, Self-Insert, Slow Burn, Things Will Get Fucky, because oh boy buckle up this is gonna be a slow burn, did i mention this was gonna be a slow burn, sans is a rat bastard and we love him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:46:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23656318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fondlii/pseuds/fondlii
Summary: You’re an aspiring fashion stylist, working for your bachelor’s in fashion merchandising. You used to have big dreams for how you’d help shape the world of fashion, but being stuck working at a crappy part time job paired with the relentless hustle and bustle of Ebott City has made it easy for you to grow dejected and forget about why you moved here in the first place.Until you step in to help a skeleton monster in need, and your life is changed forever.Suddenly you’re working as the first human fashion designer for an integrated clothing line run by the biggest monster celebrity there is, and your life undergoes a series of one big change after the next.The pressure of working your first big gig, paired with the enormous social impact you’re working to help create, overwhelms you, but you’re determined to do your best.Besides, all of that you can handle. What’s more difficult to wrap your head around is the small skeleton who can’t seem to leave you alone.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale), Papyrus & Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 34
Kudos: 85





	1. Papyrus Does Not Care for Fast Food

**Author's Note:**

> WHOO hey there, guess who's finally getting into the Undertale fanfiction business? I've loved the game ever since it came out and have been reading fanfiction for it for almost as long, but this is my first attempt at actually putting an idea I've had bouncing around inside my head for months onto paper. I'm really excited to keep writing for this story and see where it goes! Hope you enjoy! :)

Spring brought with it a sense of new beginnings every year. The weather transformed from sullen and chilly to something more vibrant, alive. People were suddenly everywhere, flooding the streets of your city, and maybe it was just your imagination, but you always sensed friendliness in the air, a more relaxed, happy contrast to the bitterness of early winter months.

Today was a particularly beautiful April day. The sun was shining overhead, yet the heat wasn’t blistering. It was your favorite kind of weather.

So it’s a shame I’m trapped inside. You thought to yourself sullenly, as you wiped down the mahogany counter in front of you.

You didn’t love your job, but you had to admit, it paid the bills. Life as a struggling college student in the big city wasn’t without its drawbacks, and one of the big ones was that you simply never had enough money. If being a fast food waiter was what it took to keep your ass from being kicked out into the street by your crabby landlord, then so be it. Who were you to complain?

Trying to bear that last reflection in mind, you forced yourself out of your reverie as you placed the now dirty towel off to the side, to be dealt with later. The last bar stool customers had left a mess, and you’d spent the better part of three minutes cleaning up before it was finally suitable for the next diner. As if you could call this fine dining. You snorted, earning a side glance from Jeremy, your coworker.

“All good over there, space cadet?” The teasing was light, familiar. You had a tendency to daydream on the job, after all.

You smiled wryly at your smirking coworker. “Har, har, you never fail to make me laugh. What’s the tipping situation for the day?”

Jeremy made a show of counting the few singles in the tip jar. “Well, let me see what riches our gracious patrons have bestowed upon us today.” He made a low, sarcastic gasp. “Do mine eyes deceive me? Could it truly be; six singles?”

“Ooh, so we have reaped quite a reward.” You were used to his brotherly antics. Maybe his refusal to get to the point would annoy other people, but on the contrary, you appreciated this about him. He was fun, and you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t the best part of your otherwise painfully tedious day.

The bell above the restaurant’s door suddenly chimed, alerting the both of you to a new customer’s presence. “I’ll give you the honor of taking this one, champ.” You grinned at the shaggy haired blonde next to you.

“Alright, alright, if you insist,” He responded, adjusting his worker’s apron. Quick as a flash, he walked up to the register where the customer waited, all smiles and false pep. “Welcome to Burger A Buck, where we make sure you get your bang for your buck! How can I help you today?” Damn, was he good.

You stood a little behind him, trying your best to look busy in case your manager, Paul, walked by. He was not one you wanted to have caught you slacking on the job.

A minute later, Jeremy passed you an order ticket and a wink, and you went about the quick business of readying the customer’s order: a standard burger and fries. You put both in a paper bag, stapled the order to said bag, and handed the greasy mess off to Jeremy before returning to the front of the counter, near the window. You raised your eyebrows in bemusement as you saw the man take the bag with a slightly wrinkled face. Really, what was he expecting from a dusty fast food burger joint? Some people expected too much, you thought as you absentmindedly watched the man sit down in a corner table to unpack his “meal”.

The only thing you would miss about this place was Jeremy. The pay was bad, the tipping abysmal, the manager cruel, the establishment so poorly maintained you swore you were catching something every time you walked in- these weren’t exactly two years of work you’d look back on with longing.

Tapping your fingers in an easy rhythm against the counter, you started to zone out again, and allowed your mind to drift to thoughts of your upcoming lunch break, when suddenly an outbreak of shouting shattered your reverie.

You were unsurprised to see it was coming from Rodney’s, an eaterie almost directly across the street from Burger A Buck. The man for whom the restaurant was named was an unlikable little fellow, an opinion you formed that had nothing to do with the fact his restaurant routinely drew business away from your little place. No, he was vindictive, loud, and quick to anger, but even you had to admit he had to deal with annoying customers up to his knees. He was probably just throwing out another drunkard intent on causing a ruckus.

But… no, that couldn’t be right, could it? It was only twelve, Rodney couldn’t be expecting drinkers for hours yet to come. But if it wasn’t that, what was it?

Now curious, you turned fully, trying to survey the scene. Even though you were right up against the window, it was hard to make out what was being said, and it was hard to see what was going on due to the small crowd that had formed around the scene, blocking the recipient of Rodney’s anger.

And boy, was the short chef angry. He was brandishing a wooden spatula like it was a sword, red in the face from the screaming he was doing. Yes, he looked angry, but was that… a look of fear in his eyes?

Come to think of it, everyone who’s facial expression you could make out seemed unnerved, terrified by whatever they were looking at but unable to look away.

Now you were really curious, and as you shrugged away all pretenses of trying to focus on work, you crammed yourself up against the window, not even noticing that Jeremy had joined you at the window before he said, “Woah, is that a monster?”

A monster? Of course you had heard of them. Who hadn’t, at this point? The news of an entire race of sentient monsters coming out of what was called “The Underground”, well, understandably, it changed the world. Ebott City, where you lived, was only a short distance away from the mountain thousands of creatures had suddenly emerged from. So, yes, you had heard about them- it was all you’d heard about for the last six months since their arrival.

But, seeing one? Up close? That was almost unheard of. Every monster was securely quarantined in the mountain range almost a mile outside of your city, monitored closely by your country’s government as neverending legal disputes were being sorted out. You felt terrible for them, you did, but there was a certain morbid curiosity and fear you were sure you shared with most humans. Not much about them was known to the human public, after all, and you’d never seen any monster before, save for the imposing monster king on T.V. during especially rare occasions.

You were much shorter than Jeremy, but excitedly bounced around to try to see the angle he was looking out, and sure enough, you thought you could sort of make out what could be a monster. It was too tall to be any average human, that’s for sure, and the clothes it was wearing were right out of a comic book.

… Oh god, did you just mentally refer to another living creature as ‘it’?

A sudden wave of self hatred overcame you, and you felt ashamed. If that was a monster outside Rodney’s, currently the object of his screaming match, you felt strong sympathy for the poor creature. They had every right to be there.

“Woah, I think it is,” You finally replied to Jeremy, “I guess we shouldn’t be so surprised, right?”

Your friend looked dazed, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on his head. “Shit, I guess so, huh? I mean, they did pass those new laws last week, where monsters can leave Mt. Ebott with special permission, but Jesus.”

Jesus was right. You both should have fully expected this, but being in the presence of a real, sentient, different species was mind boggling.

Jeremy looked over at the scream match for a second longer, before a clearing of the throat caught his attention. You weren’t watching, but figured it must be the customer from earlier. Jeremy snapped to attention, called “I’ll be there shortly, sir!”, sighed softly, shook his head, and let out a quiet “Poor dude” before the sound of footsteps alerted you of his departure.

The situation across the street only seemed to be worsening, a bigger crowd was forming and you wondered how Rodney hadn’t blown a fuse yet. It had been nearly five minutes, for Christ’s sake.

You felt awful for the person he was screaming at, but forced yourself to look away, even though it was hard. Humans are awful, and racism was unfair, you knew this. The urge to go over there was strong, but what could you do? Leave your post? And then what? What could you honestly do that would make this situation better? Terrible shit happened every day, and it couldn’t be your responsibility to try and play the hero and fix things.

Though you felt bile rise in your throat as you came to this conclusion, you knew it couldn’t be helped. You were powerless, and no matter how much you wanted to, there was nothing you could do.

Planning to resume work for good, you spared one last glance to the commotion outside before slowly turning away…

Before snapping your head back so fast you thought you felt something in your neck snap.

Holy shit, is that a kid? Was the last thought you remember having before bolting out from behind the counter, rushing to the door.

“Uh, where are you going?” You heard Jeremy call out in surprise.

You turned to face him, your chest heaving and eyes burning, and knew he instantly understood. “I’ll be right back. If Paul comes out, I’m in the bathroom.”

He stared at you for a second, before a smile spread across his face. It was sincere, and warm, and you knew in that moment he had great affection for what you planned to do, which was… which was what? “You got it, ma’am.”

No time to think. Now was the time to act.

You couldn’t appreciate the sunlight that shone onto your face almost instantly, nor bask in the warmth it brought. More importantly, it gave you a feeling of recklessness, of bravery, and suddenly finalized the whim you’d carelessly acted upon.

You marched over, and could finally hear the words being thrown like daggers by Rodney. “- d’you think you’re doing, barging in and giving my customers a heart attack? What fucking lunatic gave you the idea that someone of your kind is welcome around here? Look at you, you sick fuck, how can you even EAT?”

Rage filled you. Rage that another member of your species could be so vicious with their words, and rage at the people who walked by, doing nothing to stop it beyond gaping like fish out of water.

“RODNEY!” The guy jumped, and normally you’d have found the sight of the pudgy chef jumping so high he lost his obnoxious chef’s hat hilarious, but right now you couldn’t even acknowledge that.

Just as quickly as he lost his composure, he gained it back, momentarily distracted enough to look at you with a sneer. “What do you want, can’t you see I’m busy here?”

The crowd, seeing how dangerously close to a fight this was becoming, quickly dispersed, and you had the clear to properly see what was going on. And even you couldn’t help but gasp at the scene before you.

Yep, that was a monster before you, and a terrifying one at that. It was straight out of a horror story, and you felt the color leave your face as you took one uncertain step back.

A grim reaper was standing in front of you, a tall skeleton that was easily the most terrifying thing you’d seen in your life, and you felt frozen with fear.

That was before you got a grip on yourself. Clinging to the skeleton’s side was a human child, a child with doe-like brown eyes and a face scrunched up with tears and who clearly wanted to be anywhere else but here. All fear left you and your earlier sympathy came rushing back.

You got a better look at the skeleton. He- you thought it was a he- had an almost laughable appearance. He was wearing a neon green cropped tank that you could have sworn had the words “Rad to the Bone” clumsily stitched in pink lettering across the center. That tank alone was ridiculous, but paired with the blue joggers and athletic sneakers, well, it created a scene straight out of an absurdist comedy show.

You hated yourself. Appearances were nothing to go by, and you saw that the skeleton had noticed your reaction. You had no idea how blank sockets could be so expressive, but somehow this skeleton seemed to wear his heart on his (non existent) sleeve, and you felt like the biggest scum of the earth with the let down expression he gave you.

No, you didn’t want to let him and the child down. You hadn’t come out here to be like every other reactionist piece of shit.

Though it was hard, you focused your renewed glare on Rodney. “Busy?” You let out a derisive laugh. “Busy with what? Harassing potential customers and disrupting nearby businesses?”

That made Rodney angry. “It’s not like anybody would want to go to your garbage fire you call a restaurant, so don’t worry your pretty little head about that. Some places actually have the luxury of deciding what kind of freak shows they offer their services to, and unfortunately, this one doesn’t make the cut.” He jabbed a calloused thumb in the direction of the eclectic pair.

That did it. “Well, I suppose that leaves it up to the rest of us to act like decent people.”

You could feel the skeleton and child’s stare boring into your back, but you paid it no mind. You knew Rodney would contact Paul about this, but you didn’t give a shit. You could find another job. This felt more important, was more important.

The old restaurant owner stared at you, open mouthed, face going through a violent change of color, from scarlet, to maroon, to fuchsia, before finally settling on a color not unlike that of sour oatmeal. He made a noise of disgust at you, before spitting at your feet. “It’s always the poor who think they’ve got something to prove by being an activist.” He turned his attention back to the skeleton, who, you noticed, flinched and raised his hands in a placating gesture. “You’re lucky I didn't call child services on you, Bonesy. Next time you won’t be so lucky. Now, if you excuse me, I have a real establishment to run.” He smiled nastily at you before bending down, picking up his now dirtied hat, and strode over to his namesake in what he clearly thought was an intimidating strut, slamming the door behind him.

Finally. You thought with a grim satisfaction, before realizing you were now alone with a monster and traumatized child, and your guilt began eating you again.

You turned quickly, braved eye contact with the strangely dressed skeleton, and gave the best customer service smile you could manage. “Some people, huh? Are you two alright?”

The child tried to act like they hadn’t been crying, and gave you a shaky thumbs up, adjusting their hold on a bag you hadn’t noticed before to do so. The skeleton spoke in a voice much louder than you would have expected from someone who had just been subjugated to public humiliation. “PERHAPS SOME WOULD REACT MUCH MORE POORLY THAN I, BUT FEAR NOT! I HAVE LONG SINCE ACCEPTED THAT SOME PEOPLE CAN UNFORTUNATELY NOT RECOGNIZE A VERY GREAT AND COOL GUY WHEN THEY SEE HIM. SUCH IS LIFE.” His voice was booming, but you detected a certain amount of sadness laced in his words that were clearly an attempt to cover up hurt. “THANK YOU, HUMAN. IT WAS QUITE THE ORDEAL THE SMALLER HUMAN PUT US THROUGH, AND FRANKLY, A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE. FRISK AND I ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU, BUT NOT AS GRATEFUL AS YOU SHOULD BE TO MEET SOMEONE OF OUR CALIBER OF GREATNESS.”

And he laughed. Maybe not a laugh- a ‘nyeh’? Was that a word?

Either way, you felt like a piece of shit.

“You have nothing to thank me for, I should be apologizing to you. You’re the first monster I’ve ever seen, but that doesn’t excuse how I reacted. I’m very, very sorry.” Your words were sincere.

The skeleton was clearly taken aback, unused to this sort of honesty, which made you feel worse. His slightly arrogant expression pulled into what you thought was a skeleton’s version of a kind smile; eye sockets crinkling, and teeth pulled up. How was it even possible to be so expressive with no skin or muscle?

“I THANK YOU FOR THAT CONFESSION, HUMAN. BUT IT’S ALL IN THE PAST! WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU STOOD UP FOR US, EVEN IF IT WAS UNNEEDED AS FRISK AND I ABSOLUTELY HAD EVERYTHING COMPLETELY UNDER CONTROL-” (The child, Frisk, discreetly shook their head, but had an affectionate smile on their face, for the skeleton presumably)- “AND DID YOU MENTION YOU RUN AN EATING ESTABLISHMENT? MY TINY ACCOMPLICE MENTIONED SOMETHING TO ME ABOUT WANTING FOOD.”

This skeleton had perhaps the strangest manner of speech you’d ever heard, but you didn’t find his voice grating or his pompous nature unlikable. He just seemed blunt, and honest, and those were traits you appreciated.

You bent down slightly, so that you could be eye level with the child. “I’m a waiter for a place right across the street, yeah. It might not be your taste though, all we have are deep fried burgers and fries, stuff like that-”

Every trace of sadness that had been lingering on the child’s face vanished, instead replaced by an adorable excitement as they nodded eagerly, bouncing up and down on their feet. The skeleton immediately broke out in- was that sweat? Monsters are so wild- and pulled his face into an exaggerated grimace at the child less than half his size. “REALLY? MUST WE?” You could certainly relate to his apparent distaste for your brand of “cooking”. “IF YOU INSIST, YES, WE CAN EAT THERE, FRISK. IT’S THE BEST WAY TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH OUR NEW FRIEND, I SUPPOSE.”

New friend? Aw. You supposed you wouldn’t mind spending more time with the odd couple; the contrast between them, one silent and one a never ending chatterbox, paired with the fact that this was the first shallow glimpse into the monster world you’d ever gotten, made you more than excited that they would be your newest customers. And if they tipped well? Score.

You blushed lightly, and stood up straight, pointing to the unimpressive sight of Burger A Buck. Compared to most other areas of the city, it was drab, and small, and very easy to gloss over. You weren’t sure if this was good or bad for your purposes: you hated your job but the low tips really did kill you, especially with the cost your schooling demanded. “It’s right there, I’ll show you inside.”

The skeleton looked to where your finger pointed, and muttered something under his breath. Under his breath meant, obviously, only slightly lower than what seemed to be his normal eardrum-shattering tone and you could hear every word. “I HOPE THE CURSED GREASE TRAP HAS A SALAD.” He offered you what you thought was an apologetic smile. “NO OFFENSE, BURGER HUMAN. I DID NOT MEAN TO BRING TO SHAME YOUR PROFESSION EVEN THOUGH I HOLD ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT FOR IT WHATSOEVER.”

That got an actual laugh out of you. This guy was insane, and he was just too bizarre to find offensive.

When your laugh faded to a chuckle, you said, “Don’t worry about it, believe me, I hate it too.” You realized you forgot to give the now puzzled skeleton and disgusted Frisk your name, and quickly did so.

The skeleton stopped short, only a foot away from the faded green door of Burger A Buck. He dramatically gasped before slapping a hand to his forehead. “OH MY GOODNESS, I COMPLETELY FORGOT MY MANNERS.” He quickly placed his hands on his hips (this guy moved so quickly you thought he would give you whiplash). “FEAR NOT BURGER HUMAN, YOU MUST WAIT IN SUSPENSE NO LONGER. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND THIS IS THE SIMILARLY GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY LESS SO FRISK THE HUMAN.”

You blinked as he waggled his brows (???) at you impressively, clearly gauging your reaction. That was… certainly the best introduction you’ve ever gotten before. You grinned. Papyrus was certainly something else, but he was easily the least boring person you’d met in your life.

You reached out to hold the door for the pair, and heard Papyrus say something about how “CHIVALRY ISN’T DEAD” before stepping inside, with Frisk quick to follow.

“Hey, uh, Frisk, do you want me to take your bag? I can keep it off to the side for you while you eat, it looks heavy.” Frisk smiled and gave you a cheeky smile as they shook their head, gesturing at Papyrus as they did so. You truly had no idea what they meant but didn’t question it. So the kid didn’t talk at all? You kept that in mind as you sat the two at your front bar seats.

Jeremy was nowhere to be found. Probably saw nobody was coming in anytime soon and left to take an early lunch break. Typical.

You slid behind the counter, and passed Papyrus a menu, which he took, stared at for a second, before handing it to Frisk on his right, who snatched it with greedy eyes.

“ERM. BURGER HUMAN.” You really didn’t love that nickname, especially after you’d already given him your real name, but figured it was acceptable behavior from him. “HOW COME THERE ARE NO OTHER TINY HUMANS EATING?”

“What? Oh,” You shrugged. “I wasn’t kidding when I said that Rodney was driving away business, not that we usually have too much anyway.” You suddenly realized how that could be interpreted, and added quickly, “Not that that was the reason I decided to step in-”

Papyrus wove a gloved hand dismissively. “FRET NOT, HUMAN, I UNDERSTAND YOU COMPLETELY. YOU SEEM TO HAVE A TRUE APPRECIATION FOR EXCELLENCE WHEN YOU SEE IT, AND BESIDES,” He smiled at you “I KNOW YOU MUST BE A GOOD PERSON.”

He was… being way too kind to someone who’s first reaction to seeing him had been a small shriek of fear. Guilt clawed at you again, violently poignant, but you chose to ignore it for now. This wasn’t about you or your pity party, this is showing monsters that not all humans are awful pieces of shit and are capable of treating monsters with respect.

Frisk pulled on Papyrus’s arm, and when they had his attention, pointed at an item on the pretty scarce menu. Papyrus squinted before righting himself. “HUMAN, FRISK WOULD LIKE IT TO BE KNOWN THAT THEY ARE ORDERING A SMALL BURGER AND FRIES TO GO WITH IT, DESPITE THE MULTIPLE WARNINGS I HAVE GIVEN THEM IN THE PAST ON EATING PROPERLY AND MAINTAINING A HEALTHY DIET.”

“One burger and fries, sounds good.” You winked at Frisk and disappeared briefly to the back, grabbing a pre wrapped burger and scooping some fries into a container. You made sure to throw a few extra packets of sauce inside the paper bag before making your way back up to the register.

Handing Frisk the bag, you smiled at them warmly. “A feast for a monarch, enjoy, my friend.” Seeing how quickly the child tore into the bag was admittedly very endearing.

Papyrus, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes. “WOWIE, HOW DID YOU PREPARE THE FOOD SO QUICKLY? UNDYNE HAS BEEN TRAINING ME IN THE CULINARY ARTS FOR YEARS NOW AND EVEN I CANNOT PREPARE A DISH SO QUICKLY.”

Did he… not understand the concept of fast food? “Well, we don’t make our food to order. I don’t make it all, actually, and I have no idea how to.” You shrugged nonchalantly at the confession. It’s not like this was your life’s work, after all.

Papyrus looked floored at such a concept, his jaw dropping so wide you thought it would snap off his skull. “HOW NOVEL, YET SAD. ACCOMPLICE, WOULD YOU GRAB MY WALLET FROM OUR SACK?”

Frisk, who had been contentedly munching on their burger, made a wrinkled face of unhappiness before assenting, reaching to the stool to their right, where they had placed the heavy bag they’d been carrying earlier. After a few seconds of rustling around, they pulled out a hot pink wallet with a skull and crossbones embroidered on the center. They passed it to Papyrus uninterestedly, before wiping a drop of ketchup from their chin and putting a fry in their mouth blissfully.

Papyrus began rummaging in the wallet, and you quickly realized what he was doing. “Papyrus- you don’t- you don’t have to pay.”

Said skeleton looked up at you. “I DON’T UNDERSTAND.”

You smiled at him. “You two have had a hel-” You looked at Frisk and quickly corrected yourself. “One heck of a day, the least I can do is give you this for free.”

You blinked rapidly, trying to get whatever was in your eye out, because you could have sworn you saw a bright orange blush coat the skeleton’s cheeks. Wow, no, that was real, this was real, ok. That was a little bit incredibly fucking adorable.

“HUMAN, I INSIST.”

“Consider it a gift from a new friend.” You said this tentatively, and as you did you realized that you truly meant it- you wanted to be their friend. Screw your manager, and capitalism, all in the name of friendship!

You could see the soft expression on Papyrus’s face, and knew you were probably blushing to match. You weren’t used to feeling affection so quickly for complete strangers, but something about how the two of them looked at you made feel like, well, like you wanted to be around them more. You still felt awful about your reaction from earlier, but it really was easy to get over that fear of Papyrus. He was so goofy, it was impossible to be seriously scared of him.

“THE SECOND HUMAN I EVER FORMALLY MEET, MY FRIEND?” Papyrus looked very pleased. “WOWIE, NOW I’M TWO FOR TWO. TRULY, I MUST BE VERY GREAT.”

Frisk nodded enthusiastically, and you couldn’t help but join in, grinning at how flustered this made your tall new friend. Despite his big talk, it was clear he loved any kind of verbal affirmation, and who were you to deny him that?

After that interaction, conversation flowed easily between you and Papyrus, with Frisk occasionally joining in with a nod or a shake of the head. You learned Papyrus’s favorite food was spaghetti, his favorite red color was red (“TO MATCH MY SWEET RIDE”) and that he and Frisk had met Underground.

“Wait a minute…” You said, as something clicked into place. “Frisk, you’re the human who broke the Underground’s barrier?” You felt very stupid for asking, what other “Frisk” had you ever heard of in your life?

Frisk blushed, nodding mutely. Okay, this kid is too freaking cute, you thought. A million questions about what exactly the barrier was came to mind, but you pushed them out of the way in case asking would be considered rude. Papyrus interjected “AND I HELPED!” and you felt very humbled to be making friendly with two clearly very important figures in monster society.

Which made you frown. How and why were these two out here, in the open, apparently completely unprotected? Surely the two would barely be able to traverse Ebott City without fifty government personnel tagging along?

When you asked, Papyrus shook his skull slowly, looking, for the second time today, a little dejected, and it was a look you immediately decided you hated seeing him have. “THAT IS TRUE, HUMAN. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY WE COULD LEAVE MT. EBOTT WITHOUT SOMEONE FROM YOUR GOVERNMENT COMING WITH US.” His smile turned a little coy, and he seemed to be begging for you to press him on the matter.

“Alright, I’ll bite: how’d you two leave then?”

“I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK. YOU SEE, WHAT FRISK AND I DID WAS SIMPLY” He lowered his voice to what he thought was a conspiratorial whisper “SNEAK OUT.”

“You mean, you didn’t tell anybody? How is it even possible to leave the mountain without someone noticing? I haven’t heard much, but I have heard that it’s completely swamped with people from the government around the entire perimeter.”

Papyrus seemed a little reluctant to say, and you realized maybe you’d pushed a little too- did he just say “WINK” out loud? Oh. Oh my God, he DID. “LIFE ON THE MOUNTAIN GETS… HOW CAN I PUT THIS LIGHTLY? BORING.” Papyrus narrowed his sockets, looking to the side as Frisk nodded their fierce agreement. “SO, NATURALLY, MYSELF AND FRISK TOOK MATTERS INTO OUR OWN SKELETAL AND FLESHY HANDS, RESPECTIVELY, TO TRAVEL OFF THE MOUNTAIN AND PICK UP…”

Frisk, not missing a beat, picked up the bag and dumped its contents over the wrappers of their decimated meal. A million different types of puzzles fell out of the bag, and you raised your eyebrows. So, these two risked their lives, just to get some games? How bored did they have to be to be pushed into making that lunatic decision? But then again, lunacy seemed to be their normal, didn’t it?

“You didn’t have anybody who could have just picked these up for you?” You asked incredulously, picking up a puzzle that made a picture of two hummingbirds. You recognized the store logo; the toy shop they got these from was only a few blocks away.

“WELL, NOBODY WE’RE FAMILIAR WITH WOULD WANT TO LEAVE JUST FOR THIS.” Frisk made a face at their companion’s words. “I KNOW MY BROTHER WOULD HAVE WANTED TO COME, BUT HE WOULD NEVER HAVE LET US LEAVE ON OUR OWN.” Papyrus frowned.

Privately, you agreed with his brother. It seemed fatally irresponsible to travel outside of the mountain without anyone even knowing, and you were even more worried for Frisk and Papyrus’s safety. It’s not like it was any of your business, but Papyrus seemed far too childlike to wander around without “adult” supervision. Was that racist to assume? Maybe he was the adult monster norm.

The latter of those two must have sensed what you were thinking, for he placed a comforting gloved hand over where yours rested on the counter. “I AM A GROWN ADULT CAPABLE OF MAKING MY OWN DECISIONS, DO NOT WORRY. I WOULD NEVER LET THE TINY HUMAN FALL INTO ANY REAL DANGER.”

This hardly comforted you, as you were just as worried for Papyrus, but you were glad he acknowledged the risk, at least.

As he and Frisk went about the business of putting their purchase back in that suspiciously large bag, you grabbed a clean rag and wiped down the crumbs Frisk had left on the table, throwing out the wrappers in the process.

Papyrus turned to you as he hopped off his stool. “HUMAN. I MUST REQUEST YOU GIVE ME YOUR PHONE NUMBER, SO WE CAN KEEP IN TOUCH, AS COOL FRIENDS DO. I WOULD NOT LIKE TO REPEAT THE MISTAKE I MADE WITH FRISK.”

You hesitated, but only slightly. Papyrus was a stranger, yes, but he didn’t seem like he could hurt a fly. And you truly did want to continue talking to him; you’d meant it when you said you wanted to be friends. “Wow, I would be honored.” You reached into your pocket and pulled out your phone, unlocking it and handing it over to him so he could enter your numbers into each other’s phones. Then you realized what he said. “Wait, what happened with Frisk?”

Papyrus didn’t look up from his tapping. Once again, you wondered how it was possible for his fingers to be recognized on a touch screen, but chalked it up to magic. It was so strange, but that was the answer, wasn’t it? The whole concept of that was going to take a lot of getting used to. “UNDERGROUND, WE BECAME SUCH GOOD FRIENDS AND YET IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO ASK FOR THEIR NUMBER. A GRAVE MISTAKE ON MY PART, BUT NO MATTER! IT WAS EASILY REMEDIED! I SIMPLY DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL THEY PICKED UP.”

Frisk had a giggling fit at the memory, and that’s how you knew it was safe to laugh. This guy… wow, he was something else, wasn’t he? “That’s definitely very creative, Papyrus.” You forced it out between peals of laughter.

“IMPRESSIVE, ISN’T IT? I SOMETIMES WONDER HOW OTHERS ARE ABLE TO LIVE WITHOUT MY INNOVATIVE MIND.” He handed your phone back to you, and you pocketed it.

“Awesome, I’ll make sure to text you.” You smiled at him.

Papyrus beamed. “YES, I’M SURE YOU WILL, BUT FOR NOW, FRISK AND I REALLY HAD BETTER RUSH BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN.” There was that sweat on his brow bone again. He glanced at the clock on the wall behind you and the sweat increased. Uh oh. “I’M SURE IT WAS VERY GREAT FOR YOU TO MEET US AND I WILL MAKE SURE TO STAY IN CONTACT! OK GOODBYE NOW.” And, without further ado, he picked up the bag in one hand and Frisk, who seemed completely used to this behavior, in the other. Looking downright panicked, he rushed out the door.

“It was nice to meet you!” You called after them, before sighing. Burger A Buck suddenly seemed a lot emptier, and you immediately missed the company. But you’d made two new real friends today, hadn’t you? Two new friends who hopefully meant it when they said they’d keep in touch.

You heard a loud yawn behind you, and Jeremy came back to the counter, wiping his eyes. “Welcome back,” you said dryly.

He chuckled. “I should be saying that to you, hero girl.” He groaned and stretched, cracking his back in the process and wincing. “Sorry, was I out for too long? I took my lunch break but then fell asleep, soooo…” He trailed off, and looked at you a little apologetically.

You smiled wanly at him. “Don’t worry about it, I actually had fun while you were out.”

“Fun? At work? You? Without me? I’m hurt.”

You shrugged, happy at the truth in your statement. Jeremy shook his head at you, wide eyed, when he realized you were serious. “Woah, what happened while I was gone?”

“Maybe if you weren’t asleep you wouldn’t have missed it.” You gave him a playful wink. “Now take over for me for a bit, I’m going to take my lunch break.”

He gave a mock whine, but the bell jingled, and a new customer walked in. You didn’t bother to look back; you were already heading to the back of the restaurant, feeling a lot lighter than you had in a long time.


	2. Papyrus DOES Care for His Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read the first chapter! When I published it, I wasn't sure what the reception would be, but a few people seemed to enjoy it, and I've decided to officially continue it! I don't know how frequent updates will be- I have the first major arc of the story planned out, but nothing else is written yet. For the first time in a while, though, I feel very passionate and excited to work on a project :)
> 
> With all that being said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Nighttime was truly when Ebott City came alive. Even after living here for three years, you never failed to be amazed at the sight of the blinding city tower lights lighting up the streets like stars. The heart of the city felt magical at night, with flashy neon lights beckoning you closer in all directions. It was a self-indulgent time for the city elite, who had the luxury of staying out all night in fancy nightclubs, decked out with clothes that were always in style, and pouring obscene amounts of money into whatever their hearts desired.

Unfortunately, “city elite” did not include you, nor the remaining majority of Ebott City’s citizens. No, at the end of every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday you instead held the responsibility of closing Burger A Buck, which was only a few blocks away from your home’s wealthy center. And so, on these nights you trudged further into the outskirts of the city, where the small and decrepit apartments for rent did not match the hefty price tag attached to them.

When you caught sight of your apartment, you grumbled, and began blindly searching your work uniform’s pockets for your key. Your muscles groaned in protest as you did so. It was only nine o clock, and you were spent from a long day of scrubbing down dirty tables and mopping floors which never seemed to be fully cleaned, despite your best efforts. All you wanted to do at that very moment was climb into bed and sleep, for nine hours or a year; both were very welcome prospects.

Shit, you still had a paper to write for school.

Could you push it back any further?

You _had_ been pushing it further back. For a week now. Okay, so that’s getting done one way or another tonight. The universe had a funny way of dicking you over once in a while.

After you set foot on the top of your apartment building’s steep stairs you let out a tired whoop. Gaining purchase on your key and unlocking the door proved a lot more challenging than they ordinarily would have been. Jesus, when was the last time you’d slept a decent amount? Or worked out, for that matter?

By some miracle, you made your way up three more flights of stairs and reached the inside of your tiny apartment. You: one, universe: zero.

The lights were on, and the first thing you noticed was a small redheaded girl busying herself over a cookbook twice her width. At the sound of the door opening, her head swiveled to face you, and your greeting was a smile. “Hey, roomie.”

“You had me worried sick! You’re a half hour later than usual!” She wasn't having it, unsurprisingly. You knew Liz meant well, but you couldn’t help feeling annoyed by her shouting. You had a headache coming on.

You kept your easy smile, expecting this response. “Yeah, well, it’s a Monday, and Paul finally got on my ass about what happened with Rodney last week.” Remembering your conversation with your manager made you wince.

Liz’s demeanor shifted, and the hands that had been planted firmly on her hips relaxed. “Oh, _no_.” she breathed. She scanned your outfit, and, noticing your worker’s uniform was untouched, her tone shifted to inquisitive. “Well, you still have the job, so that’s good, right?”

You hadn't known what to expect when Paul called you into his office, but you didn’t really care. Sure, getting fired would have sucked, but you hadn’t been, right? A cranky warning from Paul was something you were more than accustomed to. It wasn't a big deal if you were fired, you could always find a part-time job somewhere else, and you said this to your interrogator. “Besides, word on the street is that college students with minimal work experience are in high demand.”

Trying to signal you wanted the end of this conversation, you began in the direction of the hallway that led to your room. Liz called out your name. “Will you at least come out for dinner tonight? I’m making burgers.”

“I’m good. I ate at work, and I have a paper that I’ve been putting off for a week anyway. My professor will kill me if I don’t get it to her by tomorrow.” 

You didn’t have to turn around to know you’d disappointed her, but you didn’t have time for that right now. You could apologize to Liz for your shortness later; explaining to your professor that you’d missed the third paper deadline in a row would be harder to explain away.

~*~

  
  


Your room was nothing flashy, and you liked it that way. Since moving in with Liz three years ago, you had made no effort to change the meager decorations that had been there prior to your moving in. It had what you needed: a twin bed, a scratched up nightstand, and a wardrobe with wood that didn’t match that of your nightstand. You haven't placed any personal possessions; you didn’t have any to put down. 

Plopping onto your bed, you reached out for your laptop that you used for writing papers. This one that you’d been putting off was on a topic you could write about eruditely, the steps that go into effective fashion forecasting. Maybe a year ago, you would have actually been excited to write this paper.

Sighing, you sat up cross legged on the bed and opened up your computer. You opened up a fresh document on Microsoft Word, and had barely typed your name and “To successfully build trend forecasting into your work process, the methodology requires three basic steps…” before you paused, absentmindedly chewing on a fingernail. What was going on with you? Isn’t this why you’d moved to Ebott City? Away from everything you’d ever known? To get a head start on your career, and actually do something with your life that you could be proud of? What happened to the excited young woman of three years ago, who swore to herself to be the next big fashion stylist in Ebott, _the_ fashion center of the world?

_Life happened_ , you thought, and knew it was the sad truth. When you’d moved here, riding on a fancy scholarship alone, you thought you had the ‘It’ factor needed to be more than just another passing face in Ebott City’s ring of contenders. You were naive enough to think that you were different from all the others, but now three years had passed and you were stuck in the same place you’d started. You’d stagnated, grown lazier, and come to the conclusion that _everyone_ who moved here thought they were different, and it just wasn’t the case for people like you.

Alright, that’s enough self pity for tonight. You had a paper to write, and sitting around thinking of ways to feel sorry for yourself was pathetic. 

With a renewed desire to finish this paper and get to sleep, you woke up your computer again and began to type. Your fingers had barely kissed the keyboard before your phone lit up with a message. You considered ignoring it, but upon seeing who it was from, your face split into a wide smile and you snatched your phone up, paper forgotten again.

| Papyrus (the great): XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 9:47 PM: ATTENTION HUMAN, I APOLOGIZE FOR MY LATE TEXTING BUT I HAVE EXCITING NEWS THAT I SIMPLY COULD NOT WAIT TO SHARE WITH MY COOL AND FASHIONABLE PAL. ;-)

Ever since you’d met Papyrus a week ago, you’d both maintained your promise of texting each other every day. You’d found he was as bizarre and engaging over text as he was in the flesh (pun intended, and yes you were going to laugh about it). Everything from his insistence on typing in all-caps to the name he’d entered himself as on your phone, to the way he still insisted on referring to you as 'human' made you laugh. He was a new and exciting presence in your life, and you’d come to look forward to talking to him every day.

| You: XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 9:50 PM: hey paps :) 

this isn’t too late at all lol

i was writing a paper when u texted me but this is obvi much more important

| Papyrus (the great): XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 9:51 PM: EXCELLENT! I HAVE A FRIEND WHO FREQUENTLY LECTURES ME ON TEXTING PEOPLE DURING APPROPRIATE HOURS, BUT IT IS A RELIEF TO HEAR THAT AS PER USUAL, I AM SLOWLY MASTERING THIS SKILL.

| 9:54 PM: AS I VENTURED FORTH TO ACCOMPLISH MY ERRANDS THIS MORNING, I COULDN’T HELP BUT NOTICE THIS FLIER. PERHAPS IT WAS THE SPARKLES THAT ATTRACTED MY SOCKETS. I NEVER CAN RESIST SPARKLES.

| 9:54 PM: (Attachment: 1 Photo) 

Upon opening the photo, you couldn’t help but squint your eyes. It was… colorful, to say the least. And definitely covered in sparkles. Purple and pink lettering screamed, in a hideous font:  
  


[ATTENTION, YOU, YES YOU!

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WORK ALONGSIDE MONSTERKIND’S MOST NOTABLE STAR? 

WELL, TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAY! I, METTATON, AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE MY NEW FASHION LINE: ‘MTT FASHION’. 

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT THIS BRAND-NEW COMPANY WILL BE THE WORLD’S FIRST EVER INTEGRATED FASHION LINE! THAT’S RIGHT, BEAUTIES: HERE AT MTT FASHION WE WANT BOTH HUMANS AND MONSTERS TO MODEL AND WORK AS STAFF IN OUR INDUSTRY.

IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOUR DREAM JOB (AND DARLING, HOW COULD IT NOT BE?), HERE ARE OUR INTERVIEW REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS:]

And at the bottom of the page was a listing of the available positions at the company, which was, erm, everything, plus a number and location to reach Mettaton for an interview.

That was a name Papyrus had mentioned to you only once, during a phone call, but you didn’t know too much about him. He was hands down the biggest celebrity among monsters, and his popularity rivaled that of the King and Queen, from what Papyrus told you. The skeleton seemed to love Mettaton, and considered him to be a huge idol. No matter how awful his flier was, there was no doubt in your mind that this new business was going to attract a lot of attention.

You thought it was great that someone was finally making an attempt to take what would surely be an important step towards monster-human integration. You became excited when you saw that there were multiple spots open for fashion stylists on Mettaton’s team, but as quickly as it came, the excitement bubbled down in your throat. 

You were still working for your degree, and you were sure for a monster as famous as Mettaton, there would be much better options than someone with as much experience as yourself, which was next to none. 

That thought was hardly enough to subdue you for long, because for the first time in years, your heart was full, and hope washed over you as you shakily typed a response to the waiting Papyrus:

| You: XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 10:01 PM: that’s def one way to make a flier lmao

it looks super cool, paps, but what about it

| Papyrus (the great): XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 10:07 PM: I AM SEEKING YOUR SUPPORT IN AUDITIONING TO BE A MODEL FOR METTATON’S NEW CLOTHING LINE! EVER SINCE I WAS A BABYBONES, I HAVE FELT DRAWN TO THE SPLENDOR OF THE STAGE LIFE. THE HIGH FASHION, THE PRESTIGE, THE GLAMOUR.THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH YOUR IDOL COMES ONCE IN A LIFETIME, AND I WAS ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT BECAUSE, WELL. NOT BECAUSE I’M SCARED, AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NEVER AFRAID OF ANYTHING, BUT IN CASE *YOU* SHOULD BE SCARED OF LOSING YOUR AMAZING FRIEND ONCE HE MAKES IT BIG, WHICH I ASSURE YOU, HUMAN, WOULD NEVER HAPPEN.

| You: XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 10:08 PM: that’s awesome of course you should do it!! i know you’d be amazing, an overnight sensation ;))

And you meant that. Papyrus was loud and self absorbed, but he had a presence like no other, one you knew would carry over to the stage. While a career in modeling was something he had never expressed an interest in, you’d only known him for a week, and the more you thought about it, the more it made sense. You hoped your friend landed the gig.

You sent Papyrus another text saying _goodnight, it was lovely talking to you but I really do have an important paper to write_ and turned off your phone, putting it out of sight for good measure.

Even though you knew you had nothing to be optimistic about, it was with increased exhilaration you returned to your paper, your conversation with Papyrus inspiring you. Sure, things hadn’t been looking up lately, but there was plenty to be happy for! You had a new friend in the city, you hadn’t lost your job, and you had less than a year until you graduated college and you could maybe ( _finally_ ) start getting job offers that didn’t involve serving greasy fast food.

Gold dawn was creeping through the window before you finally finished your paper. You knew you were going to be exhausted at work, but it was with a grin that your head hit the pillow.

~*~

“... paying attention to me?” 

You looked up at Jeremy mid-chew, realizing he’d caught you zoning out. You were drained, and you knew you looked it.

Your coworker was perched on the counter next to the sink, a cup of ramen noodles in hand. The employee break room at Burger A Buck was small, with room enough for three people to stand shoulder to shoulder. He’d evidently noticed the way your head threatened to fall onto your peanut butter sandwich. 

Swallowing a thick glob of peanut butter, you lay your sandwich on your napkin. Paul didn’t like it when employees wasted “perfectly good plates”. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I was up late.” You offered.

“Seems like you’ve been ‘up late’ a lot recently. You look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks, I needed that.” You stretched, trying to wake up. “‘S’not like I can help it though, you know? Paul’s forcing me to close up more and more recently, and ‘s’not like I can just say n-n-no.” The last word was interrupted by a yawn.

Jeremy nodded grimly. “I know, I get it, but listen, if you don’t say something to him I will. You have too much on your plate and you’re terrible at saying ‘no’.” He winked. “No offense.”

“Some taken, but you’re right.” 

“Promise me you’ll talk to him?” Concern laced his voice, he was bad at hiding it. 

“I’ll think about it.” 

Jeremy didn’t look pleased to hear this, and he opened his mouth to say so when your phone’s muffled ringtone cut him off. 

“Sorry,” You said as you scrambled to take your phone out of your bag. Other than Jeremy, there’s only one person who’d be calling you at this time of day. “I have to take this.” 

“HUMAN!” You weren’t prepared for the shriek that came from your speaker the second you picked up. Jeremy chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the way you’d instinctively snatched your phone away from your ear. “HUMANHUMANHUMANHUMANHUMA-”

“Papyrus, Papyrus, I’m here, what’s up? Why are you calling me at wor-”

“I REALIZE YOU ARE AT WORK,” You bristled, but only slightly, at his cutting you off. “MY NEWS IS SIMPLY TOO EXCELLENT TO WAIT, I HAD TO CONTACT YOU RIGHT AWAY.”

“You’re lucky you caught me on break.” You wrinkled your nose at your discarded PB&J. You’d never liked how peanut butter stuck to the back of your throat. “So, tell me, what’s the good news? Tell me quickly, before I fall off my seat.”

Indulging the tall skeleton was impossible to not do, at least a little.

“FIRST PROMISE YOU WON’T BE MAD AT ME.”

This made you frown. With some trepidation, you assured him, “Papyrus, there’s nothing you could say that would upset me, go ahead.”

“WELL,” He had the air of a man approaching a sleeping bear with a stick. “I WENT TO THE FIRST JOB APPLICATION THIS MORNING. AS I AND METTATON ALWAYS SAY, IT’S PRUDENT TO BE TIMELY. AND,” he paused. “I THINK HE WAS VERY PLEASED WITH MY RESUME, NOT THAT I HAD ANY DOUBTS ABOUT THAT AT ALL.”

You laughed in relief. “That’s fantastic Papyrus, I’m super happy for yo-”

“OF COURSE YOU ARE, BUT I HAVE MORE.” Uh oh. You could hear the nervousness in his voice. Papyrus never sounded nervous. “DO YOU REMEMBER, BACK WHEN WE FIRST CORRESPONDED, HOW YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE GOING TO HUMAN SCHOOL TO BE A PANTALOON MAKER?”

Jeremy was eavesdropping and making no attempt to hide it. He was red in the face trying to hold in his laughter, and you reached over to swat at him. He quickly retreated further into his counter, making a face at you.

“Well, that’s not exactly what I call it, but-” 

“YES, WELL, AT THE END OF MY INTERVIEW WITH METTATON I FELT IT WOULD BE. UNFRIENDSMANLIKE. IF I WERE TO PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY. TO MENTION MY VERY TALENTED FRIEND WHO HAS BEEN HELPING ME PLAN MY OUTFITS EVERY DAY.” He spit these last words out in a rush, as if they would burn his throat if they stayed on his tongue too long.

It was true that ever since you’d mentioned your hobby to Papyrus, he’d been thrilled, and had you assist him with his “battle armor” of the day. “A SKELETON SUCH AS MYSELF CAN NEVER BE CAUGHT OFF GUARD LOOKING ANYTHING BUT DAPPER.”

“Paps, you _didn’t_.” Your heart had caught in your throat, you hardly dared to believe what was happening right now. You forgot to breath, and Jeremy reached over to clap you on the back when you started to go lightheaded. 

“YES, WELL. I DID. DURING THIS PAST WEEK, HUMAN, YOU HAVE BECOME VERY CLOSE TO MY NON-EXISTENT HEART. I AM STILL GRATEFUL FOR HOW YOU HELPED ME AND FRISK.”

Your cheeks warmed. “You know I’ve said you can stop thanking me, it’s not worth-”

“NOT WORTH THANKING YOU? HUMAN, NOBODY ELSE STEPPED IN TO HELP. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DECIDED TO ACT, WHO DECIDED TO BEFRIEND US, AND YOU DO DESERVE MY THANKS FOR THAT. THANK YOU.”

You had never heard him sound so sincere. “It was- it was the right thing to do.”

You could hear him nod on the other end of the line. “AND I’M GLAD YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DECIDED TO DO THE RIGHT THING. NOW! ENOUGH BOONDOGGLING. I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR YOU, HUMAN.”

You and Jeremy made eye contact. “What is it?”

“METTATON WOULD, ERM, LIKE TO ARRANGE FOR YOU TO ATTEND AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM FOR THE POSITION OF FASHION STYLIST AT HIS NEW CLOTHING LINE?” He said it like it was a question.

“WHAT!” You shouted so loud that Paul, your manager, banged his fist on the other side of the wall. Covering your phone to call out an apology, you were quickly back on the line with Papyrus, who was listing the time and place and way you’d have to approach Mount Ebott so that security guards would let you in and this was all so _much_.

“Hey, Papyrus, it’s not like I’m not grateful for your vote of confidence,” You broke him off. “But do you think Mettaton would rather have more… _experienced_ humans working for him?”  
  
“NONSENSE, HUMAN,” Came the booming response. “YOU’RE THE _ONLY_ HUMAN METTATON HAS HAD CONTACT HIM SO FAR, AND WHEN I TOLD HIM OF YOUR HEROIC ACT OF BRAVERY, WHY, HE SAID YOU REPRESENTED THE MESSAGE HIS COMPANY WANTS TO PUT OUT THERE.”

You remembered your first reaction to seeing Papyrus, and doubted very much that was true, but didn’t have the heart to bring it up to him, not when he was so happy and proud of himself. “Well, when you put it like that, how can I worry?” You paused. You wanted Papyrus to know how truly thankful you were, and how much this meant to you. You weren’t the best at expressing sincere emotion, but you wanted to try, for him. “Thank you. I mean it. I can never thank you enough.”

“NONSENSE. WHAT ARE GREAT FRIENDS FOR? NYEH HEH HEH!” You knew he’d gotten the message, but didn’t want to embarrass you by making a big deal out of it. _What a cool guy_ You thought.

Paul’s arrival at the doorway broke you out of your absorbance, and you and Jeremy both looked at him fearfully. “Sometimes it feels like I’m paying the two of you to sit around and paint each other’s fingernails. Janice has been covering you two sorry excuses for workers for nearly an hour. Get. Back. Out. There.” Venom was dripping from every word, and he stormed away as quickly as he’d arrived.

Stuttering out a rushed apology to Papyrus, you hung up the phone and dashed to the storefront, Jeremy hot at your heels. Janice shot you a nasty look and you took over the register, and you discreetly looked behind you to make sure Paul wasn’t returning to make a threat of unemployment, which you knew to take seriously.

Still, that didn’t stop you from spending the rest of the day on Cloud Nine. You’d have to double-check with Papyrus the date of your appointment, but it seemed the stars were finally aligning for you. You couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something so sweet for you, and a stranger, no less. Papyrus had been quick to worm his way into your heart, and you knew even if you probably wouldn’t get the job, it was enough to keep you going. The gesture was what was most important to you.

You made a mental note to make Papyrus a batch of spaghetti for the next time you saw him. It wasn’t enough to show your appreciation, you knew that nothing would be enough, but it was the least you could do for him. 

That night, after closing up shop, you stood outside the dingy restaurant you worked out, turned to face the opposite way from home, where you knew the heart of the city, with its bright lights and fancy attractions, was waiting. 

When you finally turned to walk home, you took a bit longer, wondering how you’d never noticed how beautiful this side of the city looked at night, all dark and quiet. It allowed for a sense of tranquility, and the stars shined overhead, illuminating the cobbled streets of your path home. They shined like thousands of tiny promises, for those who walked ahead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, with this chapter marks the official kickoff of the story! I'm sorry I haven't introduced Sans yet, but don't worry, he's coming in next chapter ;)
> 
> If you want, feel free to let me know what you think! I'm excited to continue the story and I thank everyone who took the time to read this far. It truly means the world to me. ^^
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	3. A Totally Normal Interview With No Surprises Whatsoever (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dear readers, I'm sorry for the slight wait for this chapter! I've been working tirelessly, I promise, and I want to only post chapters once I'm completely satisfied and proud of the work I've done. So, uh, behold!: a two chapter double-feature, because it was getting far too long to keep as a single chapter.
> 
> If you have a preference for a longer or shorter chapter, please let me know! I love getting feedback that helps make your reading experience as enjoyable as possible! 
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who has left kudos, commented, and taken the time to read this self indulgent fic. I'm sorry if it's a little boring, or weak at times; this is my very first attempt at writing a long fanfic, and I hope my noob-ness doesn't bleed through too much. Making an enjoyable story is my first priority :)
> 
> With all that being said, enjoy these next two chapters! From here on out, the action in the story has greatly ramped up lmao. 
> 
> *vanishes back into the void to work on getting the next installment out as quickly as possible*

Sans wasn’t stupid. 

He knew exactly where Papyrus had snuck out two weeks ago. It made him regret showing his brother the blind spot in security on the mountain, where he should meet Sans in case “anything ever happened”. Sans was a hard skeleton to rattle, but having Papyrus flagrantly disregard his warning about how dangerous it would be to leave the mountain, leave _protection_ , unless absolutely necessary, was a little insulting.

Sunlight was threatening to break through his window shades, and Sans guessed he’d overslept again. _He_ didn’t mind catching all the z’s in the world, but one glance at the clock told him it was nearly one in the afternoon.

The stout skeleton’s grin hitched a little lower, confused. Even he didn’t sit around in bed until this late; Papyrus wouldn’t let him, and if he hadn’t woken up on his own (which he never did), Sans could expect Papyrus to be bursting down his door with a scowl and a cup of coffee by ten. 

This should have been a miracle of sorts, but Sans was instead disappointed and a little concerned at the loss of his brother. It was this consternation that drove him to get up and out of bed faster than usual, his bones groaning in protest. 

His footsteps creaked ominously on the stairs, each step sounding like a crack of thunder in the still and empty house. When Sans shuffled into the kitchen, he found a full pot of coffee and a note from Papyrus. 

After grabbing the mug his brother had set out for him next to the coffee pot (it was his favorite, and Papyrus knew it; ‘world’s okay-est brother’ was written on its surface. Paps had gotten it for him) Sans slowly poured himself a generous amount of coffee and, not bothering to heat it up, plopped himself onto a table chair and began to read his brother’s note:

“SANS,

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, THEN YOU FINALLY HAVE WOKEN UP ON YOUR OWN. CONGRATULATIONS, BROTHER. I CANNOT SAY I’M PROUD, BUT AS THE BAR YOU’VE SET FOR YOURSELF IS SO LOW, I WILL THROW YOU A _BONE_ THIS TIME (WINK).” This had the intended effect; Sans let out a tired chuckle.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS CHECKING IN WITH HIS EQUALLY GREAT BROTHER TO MAKE SURE HE’S GOTTEN OUT OF BED AT AN APPROPRIATE HOUR (PLEASE LEAVE A CHECK MARK HERE IF YOU HAVE DONE SO.” He’d left a blank space next to this.

“I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING THERE TO WAKE YOU, BROTHER, BUT YOU ARE A GROWN SKELETON AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCOUNT FOR YOURSELF FOR AT LEAST ONE DAY. I HAVE TO RUN SOME ERRANDS, AND METTATON HAS PERSONALLY INVITED ME TO HIS SHOW TODAY AT 2:30! THE FIRST ONE OF THE WEEK, SANS, CAN YOU IMAGINE?! NATURALLY. THIS IS TAKING ALL OF MY ENERGY FOR THE DAY, AND MY NEIGHBORHOOD APPOINTMENTS HAVE MOVED UP TO EARLIER. AND BY EARLIER, I MEAN RIGHT NOW. I MUST SCAMPER. MAKE SURE YOU EAT SOMETHING TODAY, AND FEAR NOT, BROTHER, I WILL BE BACK BY EVENING.

“UNLESS, OF COURSE, ANOTHER SEXY ROBOT REQUESTS MY PRESENCE AT ANOTHER FANCY GATHERING. IN ANTICIPATING THAT SITUATION, EXPECT MY RETURN HOME TO BE SLIGHTLY LATE-ISH. NYEH HEH HEH.”

The note ended there.

Sans didn’t know what was worse, how dependent he’d become on his brother recently, or the fact that he wouldn’t see him all day. How was he supposed to know if Papyrus was staying safe?

Too much, too early. Sans opted to take a sip of coffee, and winced at the tartness of it. Yep, this day was definitely going to suck, and this coffee needed sugar. Badly.

As he set about completing this task, Sans’s thoughts returned to his brother. Papyrus only left a note and ignored him all day for one of two reasons: when he was very angry, or when he was lying.

The younger skeleton was a terrible liar, and he and Sans both knew it. Sans couldn’t have done anything out of the ordinary enough to summon his brother’s wrath, and so he settled on the latter option. Papyrus was certainly lying; but about what?

Sans prided himself on being intuitive. It was a trait that had done him nothing but good in his life, trusting his gut (or lack of one. heh). And what his instincts were telling him, was that this had to do with Papyrus’s rendezvous into Ebott City a few weeks ago. Sans didn’t know exactly _why_ he got that feeling, but he did, and he was seldomly wrong. 

But why was Papyrus lying about this? The lanky skeleton had been acting strange lately, ever since they’d gotten to the surface anyway. He’d stubbornly put his foot down at Sans continuing to read him bedtime stories, and his behavior had become increasingly reckless. Sans wondered if this was something he’d picked up from Undyne. He’d have to give the fish lady a call later. Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

Sans resolved to get to the bottom of whatever was eating at his brother. That’d have to wait until later, though. It was one thirty already- he was missing out on prime nap time. 

  
  
  


_________

You couldn’t help but check yourself distractedly in your car’s side window. Even though Papyrus had assured you this interview would be “MONSTER CASUAL”, that didn’t stop you from worrying yourself over the last week. After all, what if “Monster Casual” wasn’t at all what your idea of “business casual” was? From what you’d heard of him from Papyrus, Mettaton was the flamboyant, unpredictable type.

Besides, this was your first time interviewing for a job you really wanted, and it’d be stupid if you were to dress down for the occasion, considering the job you were applying for. 

After much deliberation, you’d finally settled on an outfit you thought was stylish but also appropriate for someone applying to be a fashion stylist. You wore a white button-up blouse patterned with daffodils, and a smart black pencil skirt. It was professional without being stuffy, and youthful without being scandalous, and completing the outfit with golden hoop earrings and your hair pulled back, the end result was something you felt proud of. 

Putting together a great outfit was one of your favorite things to do, whether the model in question was yourself or other people. There was always a new outfit combination to try out, and the possibilities seemed endless. In other words, it was impossible for you to get bored of.

After evaluating your makeup for the umpteenth time, you chastised yourself for taking your eyes off the road. The forest path leading up to the mountain was a steep drive, and although the scenery was beautiful, with all the lush green foliage and the view of shimmering sapphire waters below, you couldn’t help but feel terrified at how easy it would be to accidentally drive off the path and nosedive into Ebott Lake.

_You’re just paranoid_ , you told yourself firmly, and to distract yourself from those morbid thoughts, you instead decided to mull over what Papyrus had told you about your audition.

“REMEMBER TO HAVE YOUR RESUME WITH YOU FOR WHEN YOU MEET METTATON. OH, AND HAVE YOUR HUMAN I.D. READY FOR WHEN THE, GUARDS AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE EVALUATE YOU.” You’d gulped, and he’d heard. “FEAR NOT! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, HUMAN. METTATON HAS EXPLAINED TO THE HUMAN SECURITY TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A HUMAN WITH YOUR NAME.” 

Sure, your friend’s words were comforting, but that wasn’t enough to stop yourself from being terrified. Not at coming face to face (fur? scales? bone? with monsters it was always something else) with what you were sure would be many more monsters today, but screwing up as badly as you did with Papyrus. Your initial fear of Papyrus still left you wracked with guilt, and you couldn’t imagine how bad it would be to react in fear to more monsters, especially your _potential employer_. 

_Remember how nice Papyrus is? Appearances aside, monsters and humans are very similar, I mean, all we are are people, when it comes down to it. Don’t be like every other bigot, you’re better than that. Even if meeting monsters is unusual and yes, maybe a little scary, you’ve got this. There’s nothing to be afraid of._

This was enough to collect yourself, for the moment. The butterflies in your stomach relaxed, somewhat, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. 

When you finally (it’s been twenty minutes, relax) caught sight of the sentry station guarding the heart of the mountain, you couldn’t help but gape. 

You couldn’t lie, seeing the intimidating steel structures looming in front of you was intimidating, even though you’d seen many similar looking border checkpoints before. They were clearly of human design. 

What didn’t appear to be of human design was everything behind the checkpoint, seemingly perfectly lined up with the backside of the stations.

You had never seen anything like it. It was barely noticeable during the night, you were sure, but during the day time there was no hiding the sun’s reflection bouncing off of it. A larger than life dome, almost entirely transparent save for the edge, covered as far as the eye could see behind the checkpoint. Even from the inside of your car, you could feel the strange energy that seemed to be emitting from it. It was a low hum, one that slightly rattled your car and made your teeth chatter and the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Was this magic? It had to be. It was impossible to wrap your head around, but it had to be.

As you pulled your dingy little convertible into the side lane of a station, you gathered your documents in hand as a window rolled down next to you, revealing a rather bored human man, currently eyeing you with suspicion.

He said something you couldn’t make out, before irritably gesturing to your car window. Blushing, you quickly put it down. “Name?”

You gave it hurriedly, wanting to make up for your mistake. _You haven’t even entered the place yet and you’re already screwing up. Way to go, you._

When he asked for your identification, you quickly handed it over. The man shuffled inside his station before holding up your ID to his face, looking it over, and reading off a sticky note he had. “Purpose of your visit?”

“I’m here for a job application. With uh…” Shit, you didn’t know his last name. Did he have one? “... Mettaton.” That would have to do.

Evidently satisfied, the man nodded, told you to wait a second, and after a few minutes, came out to search through your car. When that was deemed safe, he handed you back your ID, went back into his station, pressed a button you couldn’t see, and the bar preventing your car from passing lazily rolled up.

“Keep going straight forward, and eventually you’ll reach the monster security. When you do, one of the guards will get in the car with you and direct you to your destination in” he paused “New New Home.” getting the words out was obviously a struggle. “Once you get there, it’ll drive your car to the parking garage, where you may collect it at the end of your visit.” His use of ‘it’ to refer to a monster was jarring, and you felt an instant dislike for the guard. 

You smiled despite this, and after wishing him a good day, continued forward.

_________

The effect was immediate. 

That humming in your car transformed to a rattle, and you could feel, not see, the barrier protecting the monsters inside fighting to reject you. “What the hell-” you stammered, before flooring it, and after a few seconds of struggle, the barrier gave way, albeit with reluctance. 

It was easily the most trippy experience of your entire life. 

You drove forward, in a cold sweat, wondering why the hell nobody told you _that_ was going to happen. 

You quickly forgot about it, however, when after a few minutes of driving past the barrier, you could start to make out buildings ahead of you, with a single, lone guard station out in front, the only thing separating you from a world of monsters. 

Constructed simply of wood, when you pulled to a stop in front of it, remembering what the human guard had told you, you heard a clatter coming from inside. The noise- was that a rhythmic thumping?- only increased in intensity when you rolled down your window and said “Hi, I’m here to meet with Mettaton, I was told to go here by…”

The rest of your sentence was drowned out by a sharp “Yip!”, and a second later, the door burst open and out bounded a cream colored pomeranian dog. Dog monster? 

The dog was standing on their hind legs, and wore an impressive metal suit of armor. A red tongue lolled out of their mouth, and you wondered if you had gone to the right place, but no, you had to have this right. 

The dog, tail wagging with excitement, bounded to your passenger side door before sitting down outside your car, yipping again. 

_Monsters are so weird_ , you thought affectionately, before reaching over to open the door for them. 

The dog excitedly jumped inside, fumbling around, presumably for a seatbelt. You noticed that despite the monster’s seemingly uncanny resemblance to a dog, they had a certain intelligence in their eyes that differentiated them instantly from any dog you’d seen before. Well, that, and you’d also never seen a dog manning a sentry station decked out in a full suit of armor.

“Um, hi.” You weren’t even sure if this dog could understand you, but when they cocked their head in your direction, panting, you felt relieved to notice they fully understood you. After telling the dog your name, you explained, “I’m here to meet with Mettaton for a job interview at two thirty? I have the flier here, I just don’t know my way around here at all. Obviously. I mean, that’s why you’re here after all. I think?”

You’d never felt more stupid in your life, and forced yourself to shut up before anything more embarrassing could slip passed your lips.

The dog seemed to understand, because they leaned over and licked your cheek (man, that feels just like a dog tongue what is going _on)_ before clumsily plucking the flier from your hand with a paw. Furrowing their brow into an adorably confused pout, the dog (L.D. was what was engraved on their breastplate, but you had no idea what that stood for) scanned the document before, thumping their tail on your car seat, doubtlessly leaving hair over your newly cleaned car, pointed a furry finger directly ahead. 

“Oh, so just, drive-? Okay.”

And so began the most confusing car ride of your life.

You had to play a dangerous game, because L.D.’s barks were completely unintelligible to you, meaning you had to look over at the dog monster to know where you were supposed to be going. You weren’t the best driver, so keeping focus on the road where also looking out for directions proved to be a challenge.

For a monster town, it looked a lot more… normal, than what you’d expected. That didn’t stop you from looking around eagerly, exploring the area and taking in your surroundings. 

It seemed small, and cramped, but cute nonetheless. While driving, you and L.D. past restaurants, storefronts, and homes that were all freshly painted in a myriad of colors. But the most interesting part, by far, were the monsters you drove by.

You had to keep yourself from ogling quite a few times, reminding yourself to be polite. But, how could any human in their right mind _not_ stare at the sight of a bunny toting an ice cream truck (you squinted- did that say: nice cream?), or a seemingly live volcano bouncing every step they took, leaving tiny burn marks on the concrete as they went, much to the apparent distaste of what looked like a LIVING BATHTUB nearby.

After a few short twists and turns and some barks of encouragement from L.D., you pulled up to a building that was, honestly, a lot bigger than you’d been expecting for a start-up company that was almost entirely devoid of staff. This Mettaton must be a lot more loaded than you’d taken him for.

“Thanks, bud.” You smiled affectionately at the dog before reaching over to give L.D. a pet, which they seemed only too happy about. Was it your imagination, or did their neck just stretch out a little bit…? Magic was weird.

You climbed out of the car after grabbing your necessary folder of papers so L.D. could take the drivers side of your car. Eyeing their paws that seemed logically unable to steer, you cleared your throat before hesitantly asking, “Are you sure you’ll be good driving?”

A yiff and a furious bob of the head had you only slightly comforted, but it wasn’t like this could be helped. Nervousness pooled once more in your belly. “Well, wish me luck. And try not to crash my car, yeah? I’m not done paying that off yet.” You tried for what you hoped was a cocky smile, but it ended up as a grimace.

L.D. leaned out the car window, gave you an affectionate sort of nuzzle, and began to back out of the lot, making you feel strangely lonely. Looking up at the three-story building made you feel small, and alone, and there was a brief instant where you debated whether or not this was worth the risk, before completely dismissing the thought from your mind.

_It’s just a job interview, you’ve gone through worse. Besides, today can’t possibly get any weirder than it already is._

Pushing out the whiny voice in your head, you braved forward, and pushed open the doors.

_________

Okay, you weren’t sure what you had been expecting, but it wasn’t _this._

Sure, the outside had been colored a violent shade of pink, (a… brave choice, you thought) but everything you knew about human architecture and home design had led you to believe surely, there’s no way it could be the same inside as it was out?  
  
How very wrong you’d been.

The interior of the building was definitely planned out by somebody either very rich or very showy, and if not that, then both. The room you’d stepped into was reminiscent of the grand entrance hall of a five-star hotel, not at all like a modestly sized fashion company. High walls were painted yes, pink, and decorated with paintings of the same figure over and over, who you could only assume must be Mettaton. 

Well, his decorating style seemed to carry over to his wardrobe, that’s for sure.

Sidestepping a ridiculously huge water fountain and trying your hardest to avoid looking at the many paintings on the wall, all of which featured Mettaton wearing a rather sultry expression, you made your way to what you assumed to be a help desk.

You had a quiet moment of self-victory when you didn’t so much as flinch at the sight of a humanoid cat monster manning the counter. Granted, part of that was due to you having to concentrate hard to not laugh at just how out of place the cat looked. His expression was one of deep horror for his surroundings, an expression not even a full face of brown fur could mask.

Apologetically, you started to say, “Hi, I’m here for a job interview with Mettaton-” at the same time as the cat blurted out, “Welcome to MTT Fashion how can I help you?”

A pause. The cat’s gaze shifted as a pink blush rose to his cheeks, looking very much like he wanted to sink into the floor, a sentiment you couldn’t help but share.

The silence stretched on for a few more seconds, and after a very pregnant pause, during which you made sure the cat wasn’t going to say anything, you attempted to save face. “As I, uh, was saying, my appointment with him is at 2:30. Sorry for being a little early, I can wait.” You’d said this, wincing, after a quick glance at the wall behind the now immobile cat, hoping you weren’t coming off too strongly. “I just. Um. If it’s not too much of a bother, I was wondering if you could help me get to his office to meet him…?”

Jesus Christ this was the most awkward social interaction you’d had in your life. You were very anxious to get away from this cat, nothing against him, but this was the most socially inept person you’d met in your life.

The cat took a deep breath, fidgeted with a button on his work uniform (oh god, it was glittery pink. The nightmare it must be to wash all that glitter off at the end of the day, and especially for someone with so much _fur)_ before finally being able to brave eye contact with you again. 

His face twisted rapidly into a grimace once your words had set in. “You’re meeting with MTT?”

“If that stands for Mettaton, then, yes.”

“Oh, _no_ ,” the cat said, before plastering a sarcastic smile over his face, and after bending out of sight under the help desk, returned with what looked like a- “I mean, lucky you! Here at MTT Fashion, we pride ourselves on service with a SMILE!” He attempted to smile wider and only succeeded in baring his teeth in a way that made you strongly consider tearing out the front door as fast as you possibly could. “Welcome, potential employee!” 

There was a pop, and suddenly the air was littered with confetti. Not just the air; the counter, you, the cat. The latter seemed to get a masochistic enjoyment out of this, and there was a maniacal glint in his eye as he continued his well-rehearsed monologue. “Follow me, and I’ll show you where the _magic*_ happens!” 

“(*not actual magic)”

You hardly had time to wonder how it was possible to have an asterisk in a spoken sentence like that before the cat had rushed over to you from behind his desk and grabbed your arm in a death grip, steering you, not guiding, deeper into the building.

_Well I guess that’s that on turning back_ , you thought, and finally couldn’t hold back your laugh anymore, hoping you didn’t offend your furry companion. He didn’t even seem to notice; he was absently muttering what sounded suspiciously like swears under his breath, tail jerking erratically behind him as you went.

The rest of the building was designed in the same vein as the main entrance, and you wondered dimly how it was possible for one monster to have so many decorations made in his likeness. The paintings, the face on the lush carpet rug (“I like to pretend I’m stepping on his face when I walk over this” the cat explained, with a wisty, faraway look on his face), the hands on the clocks (who else’s legs could those be?), everything seemed to be a gross recreation, in some way or another, of their owner’s face. 

After an elevator ride that was much too long for your liking, the glittery doors finally slid open, a cool, robotic voice uttered from unseen speaker “Have a fabu-ful day, beautiful!”, and you were being jostled down the hall.

The employee frogmarched a little longer, before you ground to a halt in front of the most pompous door you’d ever seen. It was coated in plush velvet, and the door handle was in the shape of a rectangular robot figure you’d yet to have seen plastered across the building. Across the center of the door, a golden plaque toted the words:

“Lest we forget our roots.

Be welcomed inside, and you might just find yours.

-MTT”

This sign seemed to be very funny to the cat, as he chuckled hysterically, hiccuping out phrases like “What’s that supposed to _mean?_ ”, and “Who decorates their office door with a _quote?_ ”. Things of that nature. 

You couldn’t say you much liked the cat, but you were appreciative of his help, and you opened your mouth to let him know so. “Thank you, uh…” You realized he never gave you his name, and, scrambling, you looked quickly at his name tag.

No.

There was no way.

But, if it said so, it must be right…?

Wanting to save face, you beamed again at the cat. “Thank you, Burgerpants.”

This was about the biggest mistake you could have made. 

The blush from earlier appeared again, except increased tenfold, and, hissing and spitting, the deeply offended Burgerpants stalked off down the hall, leaving you alone and completely bewildered.

Trying your hardest to move past that whole incident, you adjusted yourself hurriedly, and tried to pick some of the confetti out of your hair and off of your clothes. You had to give this up quickly; some things are a lost cause.

_Well, this is as ready as I’ll ever be. Here goes nothing._

And with that, you shakily knocked on the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow hey, congrats, you made it to the end <3 
> 
> you beautiful, kind soul, you


	4. A Totally Normal Interview With No Surprises Whatsoever (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the moment we've all been waiting for; the interview with Mettaton himself! Knowing him, this interview will obviously go very smoothly and professionally, right? 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I appreciate all of you more than you know >:( 
> 
> Now if you excuse me, I have to go rest for ten years before resuming the next chapter lmao
> 
> This is so much fun to write, I hope people are enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it :')

But nobody came.

Thinking maybe you hadn’t been heard, you knocked again, louder, but still weren’t met with a response. Checking your phone’s time, you saw you were early, but not _that_ early, anymore. Your appointment was only scheduled for ten minutes from now.

Feeling very guilty for what you were about to do, you gripped the door’s handle, savoring the cold steel against your sweaty palm, and once you’d collected enough nerve, twisted the handle.

It was unlocked.

Cautiously poking your head through the door, you stepped inside, shutting the door behind you with a quiet _click._ You could explain breaking and entering to your potential employer, right? Oh, who were you kidding.

Deciding to not focus on the mental gymnastics you’d have to employ to explain yourself out of this mess, you opted instead for scanning your surroundings. 

If you somehow could come away from your brief tour of the building without the impression that the biggest monster celebrity was full of himself, there was no escaping that notion now. Behind a huge oak desk decorated with a pink trim cover was box upon box of what seemed to be fanmail. Most of the letters were sent in hot pink envelopes. You frowned. Was pink part of this guy’s brand, or something? 

Not knowing exactly what to do with yourself, you perched on the chair facing the desk. A sign had been placed on said desk, reading: “Make yourself at home, gorgeous.” This guy really liked pet names, and apparently this was what you were supposed to be doing (?). Awfully convoluted way of getting that message across, but whatever.

In an attempt to soothe your worries, you checked your phone, and noticed you had an unread message from Papyrus. 

  
  


| Papyrus (the great): XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 2:24 PM: HUMAN! IT HAS OCCURED TO ME THAT IT WOULD BE A FANTASTIC IDEA FOR YOU TO JOIN ME AND MY FRIEND UNDYNE FOR LUNCH AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW WITH METTATON, AS YOU’LL BE IN THE AREA. 

Smiling eagerly, you typed out a response.

| You: XXX-XXX-XXXX

|

| 2:30 PM: hey paps, sounds great, i'd love to :)

where were u two thinking of meeting?

If he ever responded, you had no idea, because you were suddenly distracted by an intense rumbling noise, coming from directly underneath you.

“What the-?!”

Before you could jump off of the chair in alarm, the chair and small area around you shot downwards, detaching from the floor.

In horror, you gripped the arms of your chair for dear life, and when the cold rush of air stung your eyes, you shut those tight. The sensation in your stomach was almost identical to the long drop of a rollercoaster, except worse, as this had no warning or buildup, and you didn’t have a safety buckle keeping you securely in place.

As soon as you frantically began wondering when this nightmare ride would end, as if reading your thoughts, the plush comfort armchair slowed down, continuing its descent at a significantly slower pace.

You heard cheers replace the sound of wind whistling passed your ears, and in confusion, you tried opening your eyes before squeezing them shut again due to almost being blinded by bright stage lights. Though you couldn’t see anybody, you didn’t think your ears were playing tricks on you when you could make out a call of “HUMAN!” above the roaring crowd. 

If that was who you thought it was, a certain skeleton was going to receive a very stern talking-to after this.

Your chair finally settled onto the floor, and you opened your still-burning eyes when a man, very close to you, addressed the practically stampeding audience.

“GOOD AFTERNOON, MY BEAUTIES.” You snapped your head to the left and came face to side-profile with none other than Mettaton, sitting smugly behind a talk-show desk that had the words “MTT Speaks” flashing off of it in neon pink text. 

The crowd hushed at his words. Mettaton didn’t need a megaphone for his voice to be heard clearly over the audience; evidently, he could amplify his voice at will. Must be a magical robot thing. 

You had to admit, he was an impressive sight in person. Despite being a robot, he looked distinctly human in appearance. His black fringe appeared silky, perfectly tamed, and his pink chest piece was shown off in just the right way by the lighting. It was tasteful, you thought to yourself.

“ON LAST WEEK’S EPISODE, AS YOU’LL RECALL, WE WERE VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME DOGGO TO THE STAGE. MAKE SURE YOU CATCH UP ON THAT EPISODE IF YOU HAVEN’T, GORGEOUSES, BECAUSE NEXT WEEK WE’LL BE REVISITING OUR CANINE FRIEND TO SEE HOW MY MTT BRAND TREATMENT FOR ADDICTION TO DOG TREATS IS GOING!” At his words, a large display screen you could just make out switched from a play-by-play of last week’s “episode” to an ad for whatever product it was he’d just mentioned.

“BUT ENOUGH OF THAT! THIS WEEK, I, METTATON, AM _DELIGHTED_ TO WELCOME MY FIRST EVER HUMAN GUEST TO THE STAGE!” 

Applause broke out across the audience, and you saw your dumbfounded, windswept self on the display screen, covered in confetti from earlier. A caption ran across the bottom of the screen in text you couldn’t quite make out, but you thought you saw your name in there somewhere. 

It was so absurd you could almost have laughed. Almost.

The audience quieted down again, and you could feel every monster in the audience’s gaze focus on you, Mettaton included. You felt yourself begin to flush and sweat nervously, both in embarrassment and in response to the sweltering stage lights. Mettaton didn’t seem to be affected by it the same way you were. _Of course he wouldn’t, he’s not a human, he’s a robot, even if he doesn’t look like one._

This was an indescribable amount of pressure, and once you realized you were expected to say something, you gave a small, timid wave to your onlookers. “Um… hi??”

Your response was immediate. Mettaton stood up grandly and began to clap, swooning. “ISN’T SHE WONDERFUL, FOLKS?”

You were so taken aback you couldn’t even acknowledge the compliment. _This was supposed to be a job interview; what the fuck is going on?_

Once the crowd had settled down again, and Mettaton had reseated himself, his expression changed to one of utmost seriousness. It was a wonder how quickly this guy could work through expressions, and how each one seemed to be very carefully calculated to get him the exact response he wanted. He lowered his voice before continuing.

"This week, lovelies, we have an important task. As I'm sure you've doubtlessly heard about by now, I have recently set about starting up the first ever monster-human business, a fashion line in my stunning likeness!" Another wave of applause as a picture of the flier Papyrus had shown you took over the screen.

"Since I started this company, countless progress has been made. Thanks in large part to your _very_ generous donations, I was finally able to construct an office building for my little business- the very building we are currently seated under." Wait, wait, holy shit, you were _underground_? You didn't know if you could take that, and panic started to set in, your heart thumping rapidly against your ribcage, borderline painful.

Mettaton put on the perfect showman's pout. "Yes, everything has been going perfectly- everything, that is, except for the fact that I have no human employees! How can I boast of running an integrated company when I have no integration to talk about? No, no, this simply won’t do, and I knew it!

“Thanks to a certain charming monster’s connections-” (You heard a “NYEH HEH HEH in the crowd. Definitely not your ears playing tricks on you) “- we are visited here by this stunning creature, who has been allowed an audition with us here today. That’s right, darlings; on this episode of ‘MTT Speaks’, YOU, as an audience in person and at home, will help me decide whether she has what it takes for the job of first-ever human fashion stylist at my company!”

This guy was absolutely insane, you thought wildly, only dimly aware of the applause around you. Totally batshit crazy. But beneath all his affected airs and animated gestures, you felt sympathy for him. Not a single human had applied to work at his company, and yeah, well, that’d put a damper on anybody’s integrated business plans. You couldn’t tell if he was doing all of this to capitalize on his business before it went bust, or if this was truly how Mettaton always was. You guessed the answer was a bit of both.

“So, tell me darling, how do you feel? Ready for your big interview?” Mettaton’s, and subsequently, the crowd’s attention returned to you, laser focused and curious. 

You cleared your throat, and the sound seemed weirdly amplified in the silent underground stadium. “I-I can’t believe this is really happening.” was what you finally settled on, after fighting down the impulse to curse the robot out and storm off the stage. Hey, might as well roll with the punches, right?

Mettaton purred with approval as the crowd let out an “Aww” appropriately. His voice was silky smooth, a rich tenor with only a slightly robotic undertone. His voice was plenty expressive, there was just a faint static underneath his words. It was pleasing to listen to, honestly, and you thought he’d make a good for a good singer. Then again, you were certain he sang- the guy seemed to be a “jack of all trades” sort of entertainer.

“Of course you can’t, beautiful. Most people would sell an arm and a leg to be where you are right now!” He let out a stage giggle, a high-pitched, mirthless sound, cruel and hard around the edges. This guy was all show. “But flattery won’t get you everywhere, I’m afraid. Only time will tell if you’re cut out for this job.” He turned to the audience. “It’s time to begin this week’s show!”

Icy cold realization washed over you. “I think I left my resume upstairs, I’m so sorry, I had no idea-”

“Resume? No resume will be needed for this, that would be so very _boring_ , wouldn’t it, folks?” The crowd let out a cheer of affirmation. “That’s what I thought.” He continued, nodding sagely. “For our contestant’s first trial, we’ll put her knowledge of monsters to the test in our first ever “ _Q &A Interview”!” _

You weren’t sure exactly what to make of that, but you knew it couldn’t be good. You knew next to nothing about monsters, after all. 

The lights dimmed, and with a shriek you realized your chair was moving, zooming to the right as the display screen above the audience dismantled itself from the wall, and for a split second you were certain it was going to crash, before it merely readjusted itself to face you directly. You were guessing it was a double-sided screen, based on the audience’s reaction and the potential impracticality of having a quiz show where the audience couldn’t see the questions being displayed. 

About ten feet in front of where you were seated, an impressive podium had risen up from the ground, and a long red arrow seemed to direct you to it. You meekly followed its orders, still deathly nervous for the unknown, but admittedly, intrigued by what was going to happen. 

You were sure this wouldn’t go on for long, anyway. Once your limited knowledge of monsters had been revealed, you were sure Mettaton would be quick to call things off, apologizing to the crowd, for there had obviously been some kind of mistake. A job application, where the results were decided by an audience based on live Q&A? Who’d ever heard of something like _that_?

“Here’s how this will work, lovelies!” You couldn’t see Mettaton anymore, but you could hear his magically amplified voice over the crowd. Panic creeped in when you realized the only thing you could now see was the giant display screen, which was currently displaying the phrase “Please Stand By.” 

“I will ask our charming guest here a question, which will be displayed on the screen before you! After the question is posed, she will have to select one of four answers, which will also be displayed on the screen. And she’d better work fast, because once thirty seconds have passed, well…” He paused, for dramatic effect. “I’ll leave it up to your imagination!”

You blanched. It wouldn’t surprise you the slightest bit if the robot had a disastrous plan in the scenario where you failed to abide by the time restrictions. 

“Feel free to play along yourself, because we’re starting in THREE,” 

The podium you stood at began to buzz excitedly, its surface lighting up to reveal four different buttons,

“TWO,”

The buzzing stopped and you realized a sheet of paper and a pen with a lit fuse were now facing you. _Was the pen a bomb oh my god?!_ Scrambling to pick up the pen, without thinking, you signed off where the contract indicated before dropping it in a hurry. The fuse stopped short and both pen and paper vanished. So you’d guessed what was required of you correctly. You were on a roll today.

“ONE!”

And with that, the stand by message on the display screen vanished, and was instead replaced by a question Mettaton proceeded to read aloud:  
  
  


“We’re starting off with an easy one, folks! Every monster and their grandmother is sure to know this one, but is our human friend quite as lucky? Does she know the TRUE name of our beloved King Fluffybuns?”

You were proud to say you knew the answer to this one, despite how oddly the question had been phrased. Grinning, you found the answer you were looking for and pressed the corresponding button on the podium.

“And she’s selected an answer! Is it the right one?” The crowd held their breath in anticipation. “The correct answer was, of course, ‘C’, for Asgore Dreemurr. It’s no surprise our human got it right.” Was that disappointment in his voice? You had a sneaking suspicion that the host of this show wanted you to fail.

“This next one is also easy, and it’s about yours truly! It’s time to put to the test just how big of a fan our guest is!” Mettaton’s voice dripped like venomous honey, and you knew why; you knew nothing about the robot, so you were guaranteed to fail here.

“On my sixth cooking show, _MTT Thinks You Can Cook_ , I am tasked with sorting through dish after dish, all presented by monsterkind’s most promising up-and-coming chefs, until I carefully select the dish most suited to my taste! Now, can our friend here tell us exactly _what_ dish came out on top in our last episode?” 

Fuck. You really should not have gotten cocky after getting the first question right. You obviously had no idea what the answer to this was.

You knew you had to answer; you had a feeling in your gut the penalty for getting a question wrong would be less severe than not answering at all. Taking a deep breath, you quickly scanned your options before selecting a random button.

The second you did, a loud buzz shook the arena, and Mettaton tut-tutted condescendingly. “I’m afraid our human has struck out, darlings. The answer was not ‘MTT Toast’, it was ‘MTT Waffles’, as I’m sure our most dedicated fans would know! Remind me, fans, what happens to those who get questions wrong?”

“MORE QUESTIONS!” Came the chanted reply.

That… was it? This was the guy who more or less threatened to bomb you if you didn’t sign off on a contract, and his penalty was just to give more questions? _Well, the show must go on,_ you supposed. Mettaton was a showman, through and through. Why cut it so short, so soon?  
  


The questions continued in this vein for some time, and were very thinly veiled advertisements for various productions Mettaton had a hand in. You only got one question of ten more correct (“What is Mettaton’s favorite color?” “It’s magenta, but I’ll accept pink, I suppose.”) and you seriously doubted if this job was worth it. Was this better than staying behind the counter at Burger A Buck, counting the seconds until the day ended? Yes, you decided, it was. At least you’d have a fun story for Jeremy when you got back.

Finally, Mettaton began to hype up the final question. “As our first round closes, I’m sure you’re all on the edges of your seats waiting for the final question. Now, our human friend has obviously failed miserably, but one more question to humor ourselves before the next round can’t hurt!

“SOULs are the culmination of our beings, be it human or monster, even if the role they play differs greatly between our two species. Every living creature has one, and monsters possess the ability to harness our own SOUL’s energy in order to produce our different brands of magic, so, the question is, _what are monster SOULs made of?_ ”

Probably the biggest revelation that came with the knowledge of monsters’ existence was that SOULs existed, and not in a spiritual or hypothetical sense: they were real, tangible things, and monsters seemed to be much more intuned with them than humans were. 

Of course you knew this, but you didn’t know the first thing _about_ SOULs, just that everyone had one. There was so much speculation in human media, and as education on them had yet to be released, you found yourself not worrying about it too often. You’d wondered what yours looked like, but briefly, and boredly. It hadn’t affected your life, and that was the fact of the matter, so it was hard to keep in mind that they truly were real, and not just a fantasy.

They had never felt so real, until this very moment.

You realized with a start that you were quickly running out of time, and weighed each option quickly before taking a shot in the dark, hoping for the best.

You were actually interested in the answer to this question, unlike the self-absorbed, nonsense questions Mettaton and his fans seemed partial to. A loud personality was one thing, but you couldn’t say you had gotten the best impression of Mettaton thus far. He seemed like if you mixed a human talk show host with a surrealist entertainer, combined them, and multiplied their sum personality by ten.

“And we have an answer, lovelies! And how wrong it is, oh, SO wrong!” His giddiness at your failure was honestly a little disturbing. “Monster SOULs are not composed of any physical traits, as our naive friend here believes, but on feelings, gorgeous! Love! Hope! Compassion! Such makes the weak, but magical white SOUL of a monster! That makes our guest’s score two of twelve, a disappointing failure; but perhaps she will make it up to us in our essay round, up next- but first, a word from our sponsor!”

And with that, the stage lights flickered back on, and the display screen shifted back to its original position, flashing a promo for what appeared to be some kind of monster cereal, all so quickly youfelt dizzy. 

You retreated to your armchair when the podium sank into the ground again, grateful that whatever that quiz show from hell had been was over. The armchair was right back to being next to Mettaton’s desk, but the robot seemed too busy to chat, getting powdered by some doting bunny stagehands. You waited patiently, feeling terribly out of place.

When the commercial for “tEM flAkeS yAyA” had played out, Mettaton was quick to shoo his assistants off the stage, and gave you a charming wink before turning and addressing the crowd.

“AND WE’RE BACK, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES, PREPARING TO WRAP THINGS UP WITH OUR HUMAN GUEST HERE. WILL SHE MAKE UP FOR HER ABYSMAL QUIZ PERFORMANCE, SURPRISING US ALL AND LANDING THE JOB? ALL THIS AND MORE WILL BE REVEALED!”

And then he had his fingers thread under him, resting his chin on his hands delicately as he turned to survey you. “So, darling, tell me: how have you enjoyed your interview so far? Unorthodox, was it not? Unforgettable? Dazzling, dare I say? And answer honestly, beautiful.”

Were you… were you honestly supposed to tell him, and a live audience, what you really thought? You pondered this for a moment, before giving your best customer service smile and matching Mettaton’s gaze head-on. This seemed to pleasantly surprise the robot; his eyebrows rose in interest.

“Well, I can’t say I wasn’t completely surprised. One thing’s for sure: we don’t have interviews like this back in Ebott City!” The crowd let out a polite laugh. “For future human guests, I’d recommend maybe giving them a better heads-up. Not all humans are going to go along with it like I did, we’re not a bunch that generally like surprises.”

That was putting it delicately, you thought.

Mettaton pouted. “But darling, that’s where the fun comes from! This is the way that guarantees the most authentic, _juicy_ reactions!” 

You snorted. “Maybe.” You made sure to leave plenty implied with that one.

Mettaton’s eyes narrowed. “It seems our guest has developed some sass! I wonder how strongly that stubborn facade will hold up as she faces our last question!” Tense, cheesy music filled the stadium.

You refused to back down. Bring it on, you say. A recklessness had come over you, similar to the one you’d experienced right before you’d stepped in to help Papyrus a few weeks back.

Speaking of Papyrus…

“As I’m sure you know, it was from a monster who claims to be a friend of yours that we were even able to contact you for this interview. He told a heroic story of the human spirit; of drama, bravery, perhaps a little romance?... No? Well! Of those other two things, that’s for certain! 

So tell us, beautiful, what motivated you to step in and defend a monster from ridicule? Take your time to make it as touching as possible- our audience loves a good sob story!”

You blushed, not sure quite how to take the praise you were certain you didn’t deserve. Even for the cameras, you didn’t feel comfortable portraying yourself as some kind of knight in shining armor. 

“I wouldn’t exactly say it was brave, or, uh, a tale of… what was it? The human spirit? It’d be great if it was, but in reality it was just a fast food employee doing what she thought was the right thing to do. I mean, when I saw someone screaming at this poor guy, it was just sort of hard to take, you know? I did what any good person would do.”

“And, that was…?” Mettaton was clearly dissatisfied with your answer, and wanted more. Fine, you could give that to him if it’s what he wanted.

“Well, the incident took place directly across the street from where I work in Ebott City. As I’m sure you know, the law allowing monsters to leave the mountain is still very new, and it’s unfortunately given some humans a lot to get used to.” You made a face at the same time as Mettaton. His distaste for bigotry seemed genuine, at least. A low bar to clear.

“When I first heard a commotion going on outside, I didn’t think too much of it, but then it kept on going, and like anybody, I got curious and looked outside. There was a crowd that blocked my view, but it didn’t take long to see the figure being yelled at was a monster and a…” You hesitated. Frisk had been omitted from Mettaton’s story, and you wondered if Papyrus had purposefully left their involvement out when talking to the robot about you. Deciding not to risk it, you changed your sentence halfway through. “... and I rushed outside to stop it. That’s it.” You finished lamely.

Your change may have been lost on the crowd, but not on Mettaton. You thanked your lucky stars when he didn’t press the matter, and instead segued to what he said was the _real_ last question. “You’ve proven to have a kind heart, so what makes you want a job at this fabulous company, other than getting to spend all day in my glamorous presence?”

Well, ignoring this interview leaving you dubious about how much you wanted this job, you could answer honestly. “I’ve always wanted to be a fashion stylist, it’s what I’m working toward a degree for. This interview made me particularly excited, though, because I love the message your company is spreading! I’m all for the integration of humans and monsters; how are we supposed to embrace living together when the human government seems so intent on keeping us apart from each other? We’re all just people, at the end of the day. The opportunity to work my dream job while simultaneously pushing a message I’m passionate about would be a dream come true.”

Maybe you’d laid it on a bit too thickly, but you meant every word you’d said. The world of monsters was confusing, and it seemed every monster you’d met so far was extreme beyond belief, but it was the most excited and curious you could ever remember being. You wanted to work alongside people like this, you realized. Maybe not Mettaton in particular; but people like Papyrus, so kind and eager to help, were a rarity for humans. 

The smile Mettaton gave you was softer, less pointy and exaggerated than the ones he’d been giving this whole time. If you hadn’t known better, you’d have said you’d touched the robot’s heart. SOUL?

“Darling, that was a truly touching response. I think I speak for everyone when I say it’s been a long time since I’ve heard such sincerity and blunt honesty spill from a human’s mouth. That is why, it’s with a heavy heart I must tell you…”

You braced yourself for what you knew was coming.

“CONGRATULATIONS.”

What?

“DESPITE YOUR ABYSMAL QUIZ PERFORMANCE, YOU DISPLAYED A TRAIT FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE OF TRIVIA ALONE. YOUR DETERMINATION TO KEEP GOING EVEN IN THE FACE OF CERTAIN FAILURE, YOUR KINDNESS TOWARDS MONSTERS, AND PASSION FOR WHAT YOU DO TELLS ME ALL I HAVE TO KNOW! WELCOME TO THE TEAM, I’M SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO BE EXCITED ABOUT WORKING WITH ME!”

He squealed, reaching out to wrap you in a very cold hug. His body, despite being made almost entirely of metal, hummed with something real, something _alive_. It truly felt like he was taking real breaths, and you wondered if by some sort of monster logic he really needed to breathe, or if that was just part of the act to make him appear as human as possible.

Then what he said hit you and you couldn’t care less about whether or not magical robots needed to breathe. Well, you bookmarked the thought for later, at least. You could ask Papyrus at lunch.

“You- you mean-?”

“YES YES! YOU’RE ON THE TEAM, BEAUTIFUL!” His voice returned to normal volume. “Not that there was ever any doubt, of course, I need humans on my team no matter the experience. What do you think that contract you signed was?”

You weren’t sure whether or not to take that as a compliment or an insult. With Mettaton, you figured you just had to take things at face value.

“Wait, if that was an employee contract, can I at least read it over again after this?” And did that mean this entire interview had been staged- and for what?

“Gorgeous, you should have read it while you had the chance.” A frown creased Mettaton’s perfect features. “You’re not thinking of going back on joining the company, are you?” 

He was challenging you. You weren’t going to rise to that bait. “No, of course not. It wasn’t really important anyway.” You hesitated. “Boss.”

Mettaton purred. “She’s a natural, ladies and gentlemen!” He wrapped an arm around your shoulders before leading you to the front of the stage, pulling the both of you into a bow before shaking your hand. You were too preoccupied with your racing thoughts to pay attention to his sign-off. In fact, you didn’t even notice you were off the air until you realized the crowd was filing off to the side, scrambling in line to about ten different elevators that would lead them up topside.

Mettaton was immediately surrounded by a crowd of people, all clamoring for an autograph, and he was much too busy soaking up the attention to notice you. 

Walking away from center stage, you checked your phone, which you thanked yourself endlessly for having the good sense to stick into your pocket when your chair had started on its descent from Mettaton’s office. No new notifications.

You numbly seated yourself again, hardly believing the situation you were in, and started a very strongly worded text to Papyrus. 

Your bony friend certainly had some explaining to do during lunch.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things to look out for next chapter: a lunch date with Papyrus and Undyne, and a bonus surprise guest joins you.
> 
> Wow I wonder who it could possibly be, truly, it could be absolutely anybody. 
> 
> (can you tell i'm anxious to get sans and reader introduced?)


End file.
